Hello Ian, My name is Mike Huffman of PMZ Real Estate, Modesto. Thats a great question that every buyer and the smart sellers should be asking. The good news is that in California, buyers have the right to have an inspection before they risk the loss of deposit money. If after the inspection they no longer want to buy that home they can cancel with the return of deposit money. An experienced Realtor can arrange for such an inspection by a licensed professional at a nominal fee for the inspection . This is well worth the investment and your peace of mind.
Why is it taking so long to sell? Most of the homes in that development are Short Sales. Sadly many of the homes will never sell as one of the parties involved either the Bank, Buyers or the Seller can be unreasonable or unrealistic. This can prevent the short sale offer acceptance or escrow closing.
An experienced Realtor can usually and quickly direct you to those properties that don't have such issues. Patterson is a very active home market with many offers on all reasonable homes. If your not being successful in buying a home, perhaps, you need someone else to assist you. I hope this helps you? If I or my team can assist you in any way please feel free to contact me personally. Mike Huffman 209-544-0155